21 July 2010

Lula Cafe

Lula Cafe is a great neighborhood eatery that turns out locally sourced breakfast, lunch and dinner choices in an intimate environment in the shadows of the Illinois Centennial Monument.

I checked the place out on a friend's recommendation, and I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the food and the variety of choices for vegetarian diners.

I previously relied on a few old standbys in the area for breakfast. I usually eat light for breakfast, but a few times per year, I go all out and eat a full breakfast. At Lula, my favorite part of the menu (other than its seasonal makeup) was the variety of sweet and savory options for meatless eaters like myself.

Lula Cafe consists of two dining rooms and a decent sized patio area. Service is moderately paced and efficient.

Vegetarian options for breakfast include a bagel and cream cheese, a veggie bagel sandwich, granola and fruit with yogurt, pancakes prepared with fruit, French toast, oatmeal with cherries and banana, egg frittata, a breakfast burrito and an organic tofu scramble. Lula also offers juice, coffee and milk.

I sampled the tofu scramble. The extra firm tofu is prepared in a ginger miso sauce with spinach, tomato, carrot, squash and zucchini. The sauce is both savory and sweet, giving an Asian flair to a dish that is a classic breakfast standard. It is served with herb-accented home fries and toast. When accompanied by the house coffee blend and a fresh squeezed orange juice, the scramble is extremely successful.

There are also many vegetarian choices on the lunch, brunch and dinner menus. Some of the options that caught my eye include sour cream griddle cakes, zucchini bread with goat milk butter, vegetarian maki rolls, a shiitake, onion and chevre quesadilla, and a $45 vegetarian tasting menu for dinner.